Rack and foot-rest.



1. BATTERMAN.

RACK AND FOOT REST.

APPLICATION FILED )UNE 2a. 1917 15295;,437. Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN J. 'EAT ERMAN, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNoR, BY MESNE Assieav- .MENTS, TO PLYMOUTH RUBBER COMPANY, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

RACK AN D FOoT REST.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 25, 1919.

Application filed June 23, 1917. Serial mi. 176,579.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. BATTERMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain Improved Rack and Foot-Rest, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This lnvention relates to racks, stands and similar devices used in the merchandizing of goods and aims particularly to facilitate the retailing of foot wear. It is necessary in the retailingof shoes, rubbers and the like,

to provide a rest of some kind for the support of the customers foot and it is desirable also to make use of certain gaging or sizeindicating devices for the purpose of ascertaining the size of the particular article of foot wear that the customer wishes. The present inventionprovides a convenient form of rack for the support of the stock of foot wear to be retailed and it is particularly concerned with a novel form of foot rest, which may also serve as a support for a gage or size-indicator, and which will be so con structed and arranged that when not inuse it can readily be disposed in a position entirely out of the way and can also be easily moved into an operative position again.

The various features of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention in the form at present preferred;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view showing a detail of construction.

The apparatus. shown comprises a rack having a base 2, two uprights 4; rising from said base, and diagonal braces supporting a series of V-shaped shelves, indicated at 6, 7 and 8, on whichthe stock to be sold may be stacked in a convenient position for inspection and selection by the salesman.

A collapsible foot rest is mounted at the front of the rack and comprises a. plate 10 which is pivoted at its rearward edge to the diagonal supports for the lower shelf 6, as indicated at 11, Fig. 2. This rest forms the base for the parts of a shoe gage 12, preferably of the characterv disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 176,578 filed of even date herewith. A leg 14 pivoted to the forward edge of the rest 10 at 15 cooperates with the rack to support the rest 10 in its normal or operative position. A spring 16 coiled about the pivot 15, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, acts on the leg 14 to swing it about the pivot 15 in a counter-clockwise direction, thus tending to hold this leg in its operative position, and the movement of the leg 14 under the influence of the spring 16 is limited by a chain 17, or the like, which is fastened at one end to the lower portion of the leg and at its opposite end to the rearward part of the member 10.

When the parts are in the positions in which they are shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, the rest 10 forms a convenient support for the customers foot and it also supports the gage 12 in such a position that the customer may conveniently place his foot or shoe in it to determine the size of the shoe or rubber he should purchase. When the foot rest or gage is not in use, the salesman may move it out of the way by merely placing his foot against the lower end of the leg 14. and pushing it directly back toward the rear part of the rack. The leg swings about the pivot 15 and the rest 10 swings about the pivot 11, causing the entire struc ture to collapse into a folded position underneath the lower shelf 6 and entirely within the dimensions of the rack so that it is completely out of the way. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 show the foot rest in its collapsed or withdrawn position. In order to move the foot rest into its forward or operative position again, it is merely necessary for the salesman to place his foot behind the base 10 and swing it forward into the position in which it is shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the spring 16 acting during this operation to swing the leg 14; forward into its operative position, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2.

The construction thus provided is particularly convenient where a foot rest is to be used in a relatively narrow passage way. or on a portable rack or stand designed to be placed between the counters in a store or in the space through which customers and salesmen are continually passing and where the presence of a stool or any kind of a low structure is particularly annoying. The fact that the foot rest can be either extended or collapsed merely by a movement of the salesmans foot is obviously of great practical importance in an article of this character.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An article of the character described, comprising the'combination with a support, of a foot rest pivoted to said support, and a leg pivoted to said rest and cooperating with said support to sustain the rest in its operative position, a spring tending to hold said leg in its operative position, and means for limiting the movement of the leg under the influence of said spring, said arts being constructed and arranged to enable the rest and leg to be folded back under said support.

2. An article of the character described, comprising the combination with a support,

of a foot rest pivoted to said support, a-leg pivoted to said rest and cooperating with:

JOHN J. BATTERMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

